French Bread Taco Pizzas

When my children were growing up it was terribly difficult to get them to eat anything at all for supper on Halloween. They were far too keen to get out and about Trick or Treating. As a mom, however, I really wanted them to eat something nutritious before they went out, or at least something that wasn’t candy and so I used to try to tempt them with things that they really enjoyed, like pizza, tacos, or spaghetti, etc.

Something like these French Bread Taco Pizzas would have gone down a real treat!

Quick and simple to make, they combine two o their favourite things . . . pizza and tacos!

You just make a taco type of filling (thanks Marie for the taco seasoning mix) and spread it over a layer of refried beans on French Bread halves. (I used split and toasted torpedo buns as there are only two of us)

After that you just layer on cheese and your favourite Taco Toppings, chopped tomatoes, spring onions, black olives, etc. These are really delicious and so simple to make. I almost guarantee that the kids won’t mind sitting down to these before they head out for a busy night of trick or treating!

Your favourite supper in a pizza. Simple to make and very tasty. Kids love these! (So do grown-ups!)

3 torpedo buns, split and lightly toasted

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1 envelope of taco seasoning mix

1 (400g) tin of refried beans (16 ounce) (I like the spicy ones)

120g of shredded cheese (2 cups) (I use a mix of strong Cheddar and Red Leicester, Cheddar and Jack is good also)

1 tomato, deseeded and diced

a handful of pitted black olives sliced

4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped

Preheat the ovne to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Place the bun halves onto a baking sheet you have lined with foil and then spritzed with some low fat cooking spray.

Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the taco seasoning mix and cook according to the package directions. Simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Empty the tin of refried beans into a microwavable bowl. heat in the microwave for about 1 minute. Stir. Spread 1/6 of the refried beans onto each toasted bun half. Top each with 1/6 of the taco meat. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over all. Sprinkle the olives, tomatoes and spring onions on top of the cheese.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes prior to serving. Salad goes well with these!

Note – You can use an equal amount of chopped leftover roast beef, pork or chicken instead of the ground beef. All are very tasty.

You could make a salad to serve on the side if you really want to push the healthy supper envelope, but if your kids are anything like mine were, getting them to eat a salad along side of these on Halloween would have taken a miracle indeed! Bon Appetit!

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